Written Answers Wednesday 29 March 2006

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that emergency prohibition orders related to the Chernobyl incident will be partially or wholly revoked.

Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that Chernobyl-related restrictions will continue until there is no longer a risk of sheep which exceed the control level entering the food chain.

  Since 1987, the number of restricted farms in Scotland has gradually reduced from 73 to 10 as of 10 February 2006. Radioactive levels continue to decline on the few remaining restricted farms in Scotland; however environmental variability of these levels means it is not possible to specify when restrictions may be removed.

Autism

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what urgent action is planned to investigate environmental factors influencing the increase in, and medical symptoms associated with, the diagnosis of autism, in light of recent statistics issued by education authorities indicating an over 300% increase since 1998 in the numbers of schoolchildren diagnosed with autism.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive is unaware of any peer-reviewed evidence that the prevalence of autism has actually increased. However, due to a variety of factors, including increased awareness, better diagnosis and wider diagnostic criteria more children and young people are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. What is important is that their needs are identified as early as possible and are supported appropriately. The Scottish Executive’s policy focuses on service development on the basis of current, evaluated evidence that autism is a lifelong condition. As such the Executive does not currently consider there is a need to investigate environmental factors in relation to the incidence of autism.

Early Years

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the purpose is of Sure Start funding and what sort of social work services it (a) funds and (b) does not fund.

Robert Brown: The purpose of Sure Start Scotland funding is to give children the best possible start in life through the improvement of their social and emotional development, health and ability to learn, and through the strengthening of their families and communities.

  Because local authorities have the discretion to deploy Sure Start resources to best fit local needs, and these resources are frequently combined with other funding streams to maximise their efficiency and impact, it is not possible to state categorically which kinds of services are and are not provided. However, in general terms, Sure Start funding is frequently used to provide a wide range of family support services, from home-based support, playgroups and crèches to outreach support, toy and book libraries and support for the development of better parenting skills.

Early Years

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to evaluate Sure Start Scotland.

Robert Brown: The Scottish Executive is currently seeking to learn transferable lessons from the evaluation of Sure Start in England prior to any formal evaluation of Sure Start in Scotland. A robust mapping exercise, published in December 2005, provided a detailed picture of the expansion of Sure Start Scotland services and their impact on children and families.

Early Years

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the reference to an integrated early years strategy was removed from the final version of Sure Start Scotland Mapping Exercise 2004.

Robert Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-24442 on 29 March 2006. As a separate strategy document had not been published and the strategic approach had instead been incorporated in other policies, the reference was removed to avoid any confusion.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Early Years

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce an integrated early years strategy.

Robert Brown: The Executive consulted on a draft integrated early years strategy in 2003. In the intervening period, integrated children’s services planning and related developments have taken this agenda forward at a more strategic level. As the Minister for Education and Young People indicated in his evidence to the Education Committee on 1 February 2006, the Executive is continuing to develop its approach to early years services, but there are no specific plans for publication of a strategy document at the current time.

Energy

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out a review of Scotland’s energy needs for the next 25 to 50 years.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive Energy Study was commissioned by the Executive to look at energy supply and demand in Scotland. Volumes 1 and 2 of the study were published in January. Volumes 3 to 5 of the study will be published later this year. Volume 5 will contain quantified projections of energy supply and demand for 2020, and a qualitative assessment of the potential energy situation in 2050.

Environment

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it had to the appointment of Sir Ken Collins, Chair of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency board, to the EU High Level Group on Competitiveness, Energy and Environment and, if it had input, to what extent the Parliament was consulted on this issue.

Rhona Brankin: On 25 January 2006 Sir Ken Collins was invited by Gunter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission, to become a member of the High Level Group on Competitiveness, Energy and the Environment.

  Sir Ken was invited to take up this position in a personal capacity and not as a representative of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The Scottish Executive had no input to this appointment but Sir Ken did inform the First Minister of his acceptance of the position as a matter of courtesy.

Homelessness

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many homeless people there are in the West of Scotland parliamentary region, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The number of households assessed as homeless under the homeless persons legislation by local authorities covered (wholly or in part) by West of Scotland parliamentary region is shown in the following table. The most recent data available are for 2004-05.

  Households Assessed as Homeless by Local Authorities Covered by West of Scotland Region: 2004-05

  

 Argyll and Bute
 544


 East Dunbartonshire
 244


 East Renfrewshire
 249


 Inverclyde
 415


 North Ayrshire
 1,084


 Renfrewshire
 664


 West Dunbartonshire
 1,112



  Source: HL1 returns by local authorities to the Scottish Executive Development Department Analytical Services Division (Housing Statistics).

  Notes:

  1. All households assessed as homeless within period (excluding potentially homeless).

  2. Most recent assessment selected in the case of repeat applications, so no double counting within household.

Homelessness

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds for homeless people are currently unoccupied in the West of Scotland parliamentary region, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether safety camera partnerships should be required to cross-check speed camera photographic evidence before taking action against motorcyclists suspected of speeding.

Colin Boyd QC: It is a legislative requirement that cameras used to detect speeding offences receive approval from the Secretary of State. This approval means that the device has met the specific technical requirements laid down by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch. The approval process is necessary in order that evidence from the device can be admissible as evidence at court.

  The evidence from the camera, which will form the Crown evidence, is served upon the accused in advance of the trial. At trial, the accused will have the opportunity to test the Crown evidence and also to present to the court any defence to the charge.

Justice

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether motorists accused of speeding should be allowed automatic access to the evidence against them held by a safety camera partnership.

Colin Boyd QC: In cases of speeding, the evidence held by the Safety Camera Partnership will consist of images of the offence captured on film. The images of recorded offences are not sent out to the motorist with the Notice of Intended Prosecution. However, all Safety Camera Partnerships will supply the images or accommodate the viewing of images on receiving a request by the motorist.

  In cases which proceed to prosecution at court, copies of the images will be served on the accused prior to the trial, along with other documents relevant to the prosecution.

Local Government

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it offered to local authorities during the recent snow storms, broken down by local authority area.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive did not offer any additional support to local government as a result of the recent storms nor did we receive any requests for assistance.

  The Executive supports local authorities’ net revenue expenditure on road maintenance and winter maintenance through the core local government finance settlement. All local authorities receive their needs-based share of the road maintenance and winter maintenance Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) allocations and it is up to each local authority to decide how best to allocate these resources based on their local needs and priorities.

  The roads maintenance GAE amounts to £158.7 million in the current financial year rising to £195.3 million next year. Similarly the winter maintenance GAE will increase from £52.8 million this year to £64.9 million next year.

Poverty

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which specific Executive policy or policies will lead to the eradication of child poverty by 2020.

Malcolm Chisholm: We are working with the UK Government to tackle poverty in Scotland, taking forward activities at our own hand through our Closing the Opportunity Gap approach.

  Details of Scottish Executive Spending on Initiatives Aimed at Eradicating Child Poverty was published on 22 July 2004 and can be accessed at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/FOI/19260/poverty.

  This includes on-going programmes such as Working for Families and the Changing Children’s Services Fund.

  The need for additional programmes to eradicate child poverty will be considered at the next and subsequent Spending Reviews.

Scottish Executive Publications

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many copies of Supporting People Matters - Issue 20 were printed; to which individuals and organisations they were distributed, and what the total cost was of (a) printing, (b) distribution and (c) any other expenditure associated with the publication.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Supporting People Matters newsletter is produced quarterly providing information and examples of good practice to a wide readership including people who use the services. The total number of copies printed for issue 20 was 3,716 which were distributed to 635 organisations or individuals throughout Scotland. The total cost of the publication, including design, printing and distribution was £4,798.

  The full distribution list can be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39181).

Social Work

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what children’s social work services are funded by Grant Aided Expenditure.

Robert Brown: Details of the Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) assessments for Children’s Social Work Services are set out in Grant Aided Expenditure (the Green Book ) for each financial year and these are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39230).

  It should be remembered that the GAE figures do not represent funding levels or spending targets but are used to distribute grant to local authorities on the basis of need.

  It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate its total resources to meet local needs and priorities.

Social Work

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how Grant Aided Expenditure has grown to accommodate the (a) rise in demand, (b) rise in costs and (c) addition of new responsibilities in children’s social work services.

Robert Brown: The total Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) is £8.7 billion in 2005-06 and will be £9 billion in 2006-07, and £9.2 billion in 2007-08.

  The GAE figures are used to distribute grant to local authorities on the basis of need.

  Comparison between GAE for children’s social work and budgeted spend does not take account of other resources provided to support services for children including other government grants or expenditure funded locally by the council tax. Other resources allocated by the Scottish Executive include around £57 million from the Sure Start programme which is intended to provide more integrated services for our most vulnerable children and families and the Changing Children’s Services Fund which will provide over £65 million to support the modernisation and integration of services for children. From 2006-07, £15 million from the Changing Children’s Services Fund will be included in GAE with a further transfer of £20 million from 2007-08.

Transport

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12526 by Nicol Stephen on 20 December 2005, whether the new West of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership "will continue to manage, develop and monitor rail services in its area" and, if so, what specific functions it will have.

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which rail functions previously carried out by Strathclyde Passenger Transport will now be carried out by (a) the West of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership, (b) Transport Scotland, (c) the Scottish Executive Transport Group and (d) any other body.

Tavish Scott: On 28 November 2005, the powers of Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) in respect of the ScotRail franchise, together with the staff at SPT who managed the franchise, transferred to the Executive and subsequently to Transport Scotland. Transport Scotland will continue to have the responsibility for managing and monitoring the delivery of the ScotRail franchise.

  The West of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership (RTP) will continue to have a planning role in its obligations to create a multi-modal regional transport strategy. In addition the RTP will have a role in promoting rail projects and in the development of service improvement proposals.

Transport

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12526 by Nicol Stephen on 20 December 2005, whether a written agreement has been reached with the new West of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership as to which rail functions the partnership will manage, develop and monitor and, if so, what the terms of the agreement are.

Tavish Scott: When I spoke in committee about our focus on signing an agreement with the Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT), the aim was to reach an accord which would give comfort to the rail employees of SPT as to their future. Following the transfer of powers, the affected employees are now a part of Transport Scotland, with the remaining interests of SPT transferring to the West of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership in April of this year. As a result, no written agreement has been entered into.

Water Industry

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on which dates between 30 November 2005 and 14 March 2006 ministers met representatives of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland to discuss Scottish Water’s Business Plan.

Rhona Brankin: Ministers did not meet representatives of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland to discuss Scottish Water’s delivery plan for 2006-10. They corresponded with the Water Industry Commission for Scotland about the plan. Copies of that correspondence can be viewed at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Water/17583/resignation .

Water Industry

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on which dates between 30 November 2005 and 14 March 2006 ministers met representatives of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to discuss Scottish Water’s Business Plan.

Rhona Brankin: Ministers did not meet representatives of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to discuss Scottish Water’s delivery plan for 2006-10. They corresponded with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency about the plan. Copies of that correspondence can be viewed at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Water/17583/resignation .

Water Industry

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on which dates between 30 November 2005 and 14 March 2006 ministers met representatives of the Drinking Water Quality Regulator to discuss Scottish Water’s Business Plan.

Rhona Brankin: Ministers did not meet representatives of the Drinking Water Quality Regulator to discuss Scottish Water’s delivery plan for 2006-10. They corresponded with the Drinking Water Quality Regulator about the plan. Copies of that correspondence can be viewed at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Water/17583/resignation .

Water Industry

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on which dates between 30 November 2005 and 14 March 2006 civil servants met representatives of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland to discuss Scottish Water’s Business Plan.

Rhona Brankin: Officials maintain regular contact with representatives of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland and discuss a range of subjects with them. The matter of Scottish Water’s delivery plan for 2006-10 was raised in these discussions on various occasions.

Water Industry

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on which dates between 30 November 2005 and 14 March 2006 civil servants met representatives of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to discuss Scottish Water’s Business Plan.

Rhona Brankin: Officials maintain regular contact with representatives of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and discuss a range of subjects with them. The matter of Scottish Water’s delivery plan for 2006-10 was raised in these discussions on various occasions.

Water Industry

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on which dates between 30 November 2005 and 14 March 2006 civil servants met representatives of the Drinking Water Quality Regulator to discuss Scottish Water’s Business Plan.

Rhona Brankin: Officials maintain regular contact with representatives of the Drinking Water Quality Regulator and discuss a range of subjects with them. The matter of Scottish Water’s delivery plan for 2006-10 was raised in these discussions on various occasions.

Wildlife

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how much public money has been spent on the Uist Wader Project in (a) total and (b) each year since 2000.

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hedgehogs have been killed under the Uist Wader Project in (a) total and (b) each year since 2000, broken down by island.

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hedgehogs the Uist Wader Project estimates remain on each island.

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Uist Wader Project plans to kill hedgehogs in autumn 2006 and, if so, by what methods and in what locations.

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive when the eradication of hedgehogs from the Uists and Benbecula is expected to be completed.

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hedgehogs killed under the Uist Wader Project were found to have the remains of bird eggs or chicks in their systems.

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hedgehogs killed under the Uist Wader Project were found to be pregnant and at what stages of pregnancy.

Rhona Brankin: These are matters which are within the operational responsibility of Scottish Natural Heritage. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of Scottish Natural Heritage to write to you and for a copy of his reply to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39287).

Wildlife

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be provided for scientific research to investigate Scottish Natural Heritage’s concerns about the animal welfare consequences of relocating hedgehogs from the Uists.

Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for Scottish National Heritage (SNH). In taking forward their work on the Uist Wader Project, SNH have made it clear that they attach a very high priority to identifying methods which scientific evidence has demonstrated to be the most humane.